41. Rebels of Kirigakure

Within the hour, the fighting in Kibō had stopped. Most of the Kirigakure shinobi that had invaded the village were dead; only a few managed to escape. The rebel shinobi continued to roam the village streets and the outskirts, looking for any more possible Kirigakure shinobi. Four hours had passed until they confirmed that there were no dangers in the surrounding area. They had won and the village of Kibō was safe… for now.

With safety being confirmed, the rebel shinobi allowed the civilians to leave their shelters. Each one sang praises as they walked back to their homes.

"Praise be to the gods for Mei-sama and her troops!"

"She is the one that will save Mizu no Kuni!"

"All hail the future Godaime Mizukage!"

Shikamaru, Hinata, Dosu, and Haku watched as the civilians left their shelter and listened to their words. Haku had a bright smile on his face while the three Konoha shinobi appeared to be confused.

"You would assume that they would be much more anxious and upset considering that the village was nearly destroyed." Dosu said.

Shikamaru nodded his head in agreement: "They worship the ground this Mei woman walks, don't they?"

"You would understand if you knew her. Mei-sama is a remarkable woman with a great heart that is fighting for the best interest of all of Mizu no Kuni: not just Kiri." Haku informed them. "She has brought hope to the people of this country that something can be done about Yagura. This hope is what brings them joy despite suffering; hope that, thanks to her, we can finally bring peace to this country."

"You speak just as highly of her as they do." Dosu noted.

"Of course. She, and Zabuza-sama, are two people that I would give my life for to make their ambitions come true." Haku's voice was filled with determination.

"Putting aside Mei, now that the fighting has died down, I think it's about time we got some answers from you." Shikamaru spoke up, directing his attention towards Haku. Hinata and Dosu turned their heads towards the rebel shinobi.

Haku noticed the sharp look from Shikamaru and Dosu and the disappointment and sadness in Hinata's eyes. The boy sighed before nodding his head.

"I'll speak honestly. What do you want to ask me?" He questioned.

"You obviously aren't a merchant, so what were you doing with the caravan in Konoha?" Dosu questioned.

"The caravan lied to you all; they are all loyal to the rebellion." Haku explained. "That particular caravan was in Hi no Kuni and other lands in the elemental nations to make a profit and acquire tools that could help with the revolution. With their return, they have substantially increased Mei-sama's budget and also brought with them more remedies and ingredients for our medics." The boy then let a sheepish look develop on his face. "Mei-sama sent me on the mission to accompany them in case the Konoha team assigned wasn't capable of protecting them."

"So you didn't trust us?" Shikamaru questioned.

The rebel frowned in response. "When I got to know you all, I began to trust you. Before that, though, I didn't have an option to trust you. I had to be safe in case Konoha didn't assign a capable team."

"So you lied to us the entire time?" Hinata frowned in response. "Every time we talked, it was all just you keeping up a guise for your mission."

Haku immediately shook his head: "I was there due to my mission, but that didn't mean everything was a lie. Hinata-san, I was honest with you whenever we talked about our lives. I was honest with you all. The only thing I was lying about was about me being a merchant. Everything else was honest. I grew quite fond of you all and I don't want you all thinking otherwise. Please, believe me when I say that."

"So, who are you then? You're obviously a shinobi loyal to Mei, but what else is there to tell us?" Shikamaru questioned.

"I don't have much of an answer for this question, Shikamaru-san." Haku, once again, shook his head in response. "I'm just a shinobi: a tool to be used for the rebels. I've been trained by Zabuza-sama since the day we met years ago and we traveled the elemental nations together, trying to raise money for another coup. Eventually, though, we decided to join with Mei-sama and her rebels and work with them. Our goal was the same, so why not work together?"

This was the second time Haku had mentioned the name 'Zabuza-sama' to the Konoha shinobi. Hinata finally pieced information together and her eyes widened.

"Y-You're the Ice Releaser that Anko-sensei was talking about. You were the one who fought against Kakashi-sensei's team in Nami no Kuni. And y-you're the one who helped Anko-sensei when we arrived at the port town." She stated.

"Ah, so you are acquainted with Kakashi-san's team. How interesting." Haku chuckled in response. His face then hardened into a serious expression. "But yes, that was me. I am the only known survivor of the Yuki clan. And now you may know why I would be interested in working with the rebellion, no?"

"Because Yagura wishes to eliminate all shinobi with bloodlines, such as yourself." Dosu spoke up.

"While that is true, there is more to it. It's not just Yagura's actions that are problematic; it's the fear that he has created. Yagura's actions have caused certain people across the country to feel like those with a kekkei genkai are monsters that need to be put down when they can." Haku shook his head. "My father was somebody who succumbed to this thought. He hated anybody with bloodlines, even though he was unaware that my mother had the Ice Release bloodline. When he found out, though, he led a mob of civilians to kill her. He then tried to kill me, but I ultimately panicked and ended up killing him and the mob."

Hinata, Shikamaru, and Dosu looked at the boy with surprise on their faces. They couldn't comprehend his story: how a man could allow such fear and hatred develop in his heart that he would be able to kill his wife and child. Haku didn't seem to notice their surprise, however, and continued speaking.

"I joined the rebellion against Yagura because Zabuza-sama was the one to find me and take care of me when my parents died. I am loyal to his wishes and he wanted to join the rebellion to kill Yagura, so I joined with him. However, I also fight to end the fear that plagued my father. By destroying Yagura's version of Kirigakure, I believe that we may become closer to achieving this goal and ending this hatred." He said.

"… You're a really passionate guy, Haku." Shikamaru commented after a period of silence. A smirk developed on his face. "You actually sounded a little like a friend of ours back in Konoha: wanting to destroy hatred and stuff."

"I would most likely get along quite well with him." Haku replied. He sighed once more before giving the Konoha shinobi a nervous look. "… But if you a friend with those beliefs, do you understand what I would be fighting for? And why I would be willing to lie to you all?"

"We understand. And don't worry, Haku-san, we support you." Hinata smiled at the boy. "You're our friend, after all."

A bright smile developed on Haku's face. He felt his eyes tear up, but he quickly rubbed the tears away before they could develop.

"I'm… glad you feel that way." He stated.

The tension in the air faded and the four shinobi relaxed as they began conversation about each other. Haku was somebody who enjoyed talking and was willing to tell the Konoha shinobi anything they wanted to hear and let them know about what life was like as a rebel in Kirigakure. As they continued to talk, however, a thought re-entered Hinata's head.

"Haku-san, can I ask you a question? Not about the rebellion, but about something else?" Hinata asked.

The boy nodded his head, prodding her to continue with her question.

"When we arrived in Mizu no Kuni and those men attacked us, you helped Anko-sensei fight. But, despite my Byakugan, I didn't see any trace of you until you started fighting. And then you vanished as soon as the fight was over." Hinata explained. A frown then developed on her face as she realized something. "And come to think of it, I never saw much of a chakra network from you when we began our mission back in Konoha. How were you able to hide your presence and chakra network from me all this time?"

Haku opened his mouth to respond, but the words died on his tongue as he saw another man arrive. "Zabuza-sama!"

The Konoha shinobi turned their heads in the direction Haku was looking at and saw Momochi Zabuza approaching him. All three of them immediately bowed their heads in respect. The 'Seven Swordsman of Kirigakure' shinobi gave them a curious look at their attitude, but shrugged.

"I was looking for you three for a little while now. Figures you would be with Haku. He seems to have a soft-spot for Konoha shinobi." Zabuza commented.

Haku looked sheepish at the remark and rubbed the back of his head. The three Konoha shinobi, however, didn't seem to notice. Their attention was focused on Zabuza.

"You were looking for us?" Shikamaru questioned.

"I was doing a favor for your commander. Anko-san's finished being looked over by our medical corps and I thought you all would want to talk to her." He explained.

"Was Anko-sensei hurt?" Hinata asked nervously.

Zabuza shook his head in response: "She's fine now. Still, you guys should probably talk to her. I'll take you three to her."

With those words, Zabuza started to walk off. The three Konoha shinobi stayed unmoving for a few seconds until the Kirigakure rebel turned his head and gave them a sharp look.

"Don't waste my time, brats. Hurry up." He ordered.

Immediately, Shikamaru, Hinata, and Dosu nodded their heads quickly before they rushed over to him.

"Hinata-san!" Haku called out to the kunoichi as she was starting to walk away. Hinata turned back to face him. "Find me at 'Kibō Bakery' when you get done with talking to Anko-san. I'll answer your question there."

The Hyūga nodded her head in understanding and smiled back to the boy, happy that she would get answer to her question. She then turned her focus back to following Zabuza.

Zabuza led the group to a pub within the village. When they got inside, the four walked into a backroom that was filled with caskets of wine. Zabuza walked to a nearby wall, placed his right hand on a particular brick on the wall, and channeled his chakra. Within a second, the wall raised itself, revealing a large hallway with brick-covered walls. There were many doors throughout the hallway. Zabuza led the group to a particular door before starting to walk off.

"She's in that one. Tell her she owes me a favor for this." The man grumbled in response before leaving.

Shikamaru put his hand on the knob and opened the door. The trio walked inside and were greeted with a plain looking room with an operating table and a desk that various equipment lying on it. Sitting on the table was Anko. The jōnin currently was writing in a scroll. She had a few bandages tied around her arm and under her jacket.

"Anko-sensei! Are you alright?" Hinata questioned.

"I'm fine." Anko replied, not letting her eyes leave the scroll. "I got into a fight with the commander of the invading forces and I accidentally got hit by an attack of his and it nearly killed me. But right now, I'm fine."

Bitterness was evident in Anko's tone-of-voice. She obviously did not want to discuss her fight with this 'commander'. Noticing that, Shikamaru decided to ask her about something else.

"What are you writing?" He asked.

"I'm writing a summary of what has happened to the Hokage." Anko answered with a sigh as she finally looked away from the scroll to her subordinates.

"How are you going to get it to him? And what are you even saying in it?" Shikamaru continued to question.

"Summoning jutsu. One of my snakes can deliver the message to him faster than any person could." Anko answered with a shrug. "And I'm letting him know about the situation in the village and why we got involved in a fight between the rebels and Kirigakure. I'm sending it in hopes to get his opinion about what we should do. We're in a situation where our actions represent Konoha, so I want to hear what he thinks about the situation before we either flee back to the village or if we stay and help out around here." She then returned to her writing. "… Also, I'm writing this to him so that way he doesn't get blindsided if Kiri does declare war on Konoha."

Hinata's eyes widened in response. "Do you really think Konoha could go to war because of this?"

"We could." Anko sighed.

"Konoha can't afford going to war at the moment. We handled the invasion from Suna and Oto well, but that still did some damage to the village. We're still recovering." Shikamaru grumbled in response.

"But Kiri shouldn't be able to afford going to war with Konoha either, though." Dosu commented. "If Konoha were to work with the rebels, then the combined strength would surely overwhelm the current Kirigakure government. Surely the Mizukage most know that it would be foolish to declare war and potentially bring Konoha together with the rebels."

"In theory, you'd be right. Kiri shouldn't even consider declaring war on us." The jōnin stated as she put down her scroll once again. "The problem is, though, that the Mizukage is batshit crazy. It's well-known that Yagura lost his sanity as a result of the Third Shinobi World War. You can't assume that he'll make a rational decision with something like this. He'd probably declare war on Konoha for less, honestly."

"If he declares war, then he and Kiri will lose." Dosu stated.

Anko shook her head in response. "It's possible, but if we went to war, Konoha would lose a lot of shinobi despite the victory. There are quite a few shinobi that we'd have to fight against. In addition, Yagura is the Sanbi Jinchūriki."

Shikamaru's, Hinata's, and Dosu's eyes widened at the news. They heard horror stories about the sanity of the current Mizukage as well as his strength, but they had never heard anything about him containing a bijū.

"He's like Han-san and Naruto-kun?" Hinata questioned nervously.

"A jinchūriki?" Dosu, too, seemed concerned.

"Correct."

The four Konoha shinobi turned their heads to see another person in the room: a woman with auburn-colored hair and green eyes. She wore a dark blue dress with a short-cut that only covered the underside of her breasts. She wore mesh armor underneath the dress and had a white belt tied around her waist. She walked forward from her position by the door and approached the Konoha shinobi.

"Yagura is more than just a normal jinchūriki, though. He has mastered the Sanbi's chakra and has complete control over the bijū, becoming a 'perfect jinchūriki', if you will." The woman commented.

Anko snorted upon seeing the woman enter the room. "Well lookie hear: the self-proclaimed Godaime Mizukage has entered the room."

The woman rolled her eyes in response. "I don't call myself that. Some of the rebels do, but I don't." She sighed before speaking again. "Please, don't call me anything like that. Just call me Mei."

"Terumī Mei: the woman who will save Mizu no Kuni from the tyranny of Yagura." Dosu recalled the words of a civilian.

The woman laughed in response as a coy smile developed on her face. "You've all heard so many things from the people here, haven't you? I hope I don't seem like a disappointment to you all."

'Not a disappointment… but you seem a lot calmer than I thought you'd be.' Shikamaru thought to himself. 'I was expecting her to this self-righteous, strict woman who viewed herself as a goddess.'

"Sorry to intrude, by the way." Mei apologized. "I just wanted to properly introduce myself and thank you all. I realize Konoha does not want to get involved in our civil war, but I really appreciate that you all fought to defend the people of the village. Thanks to your efforts, we were able to get civilians escorted to safety. The number of casualties was reduced heavily thanks to your efforts." She gave a wink to the group. "I guess I owe you all one."

"W-We were glad to provide some assistance." Dosu mumbled in response. Underneath his bandages, the boy was blushing bright-red in response.

"You don't owe us anything. People were attacking the village and we did our best to help." Anko shrugged in response. "Perhaps not the brightest of decisions, but it was the moral one."

"What did you mean by 'perfect jinchūriki'?" Shikamaru questioned.

Mei turned her attention towards the Nara and frowned in response.

"Yagura has full control of the Sanbi's chakra." She answered. "The bijū works with him willingly and doesn't attempt to influence his mind. This means that he has all of the strength, chakra, and techniques of the beast without losing his mind in the process."

"What?" Hinata gasped. "Th-That's-"

"Are you sure he hasn't lost his mind? I believe we all came to the conclusion that Yagura lost his sanity. Surely the Sanbi might have had some role in that." Dosu commented.

"No, that's not the case. Yagura had full control of the bijū before the end of the Third Shinobi World War." The auburn-haired woman replied. "… I have a theory about the origin of his insanity, but…"

"But what?" Anko prodded her to continue.

"… Forget about it for now." Mei shook her head. "Anyway, I came to inform you, Anko-san, of a meeting that will occur later tonight. Myself, along with the remaining clan heirs of Kirigakure clans that sided with us, the seven swordsman of the mist that sided with us, my personal adviser, Aō, and the mayor of the village will be meeting to discuss various topics related to the most recent invasion and the direction we wish to take the rebellion from here. If you would like to come Anko-san, you may."

"Really?" The jōnin blinked in confusion. "Why?"

"You helped us out today. I feel that means I can trust you and other Konoha shinobi. At the very least, I can trust you all not to provide information to Yagura and his troops." Mei commented. She then started to walk over towards the door. "If you wish to attend, it's at the door at the very end of the hallway outside the door and will occur precisely one hour from now."

Mei gave a bow before she walked out of the room. The Konoha shinobi were now left alone in the room.

"… I presume you are going to go to this meeting, Anko-taichou?" Dosu questioned.

"Yup." Anko nodded her head in response. "Gonna finish my scroll and send it to the Hokage, though. If you guys want to go out and try and get some sleep, go ahead."

It was with those words that the Konoha shinobi realized that it was past midnight. The adrenaline of the invasion made them forget the time of day. Almost on cue, Shikamaru proceeded to yawn.

"I'll definitely take you up on that offer." He stated.

"Likewise." Dosu replied with a yawn of his own.

"I… am going to do a quick errand, then head on back." Hinata stated.

"Errand? This late?" Dosu questioned. Realization then dawned on his face. "Oh. You wish to converse with Haku." Hinata nodded her head. "Go for it. I will still head back to the inn, though, but you should probably meet up with him."

"I don't think I'll be long." The Hyūga mentioned.

"I probably will be. I got no clue how long this meeting could be." Anko sighed. She noticed the trio starting to walk out of the room. "Guys?" The group stopped immediately and gave her their attention. "Look… we're in a very crappy position. There's a chance we'll need to get the hell out of this country asap. Or there's a chance Konoha will be going to war and we'll have to stay here and help with the effort. But regardless, we'll do our damn best. Train whenever you can. I'll definitely be pushing myself like hell during these few days and I expect you all to do the same. I want to make sure the four of us return to Konoha alive. Do you all understand?"

Shikamaru, Hinata, and Dosu nodded their heads in understanding. With the conversation over, the three shinobi proceeded to leave the room. Anko was now left alone. She proceeded to return back to writing in her scroll.

'Get this over with as fast as possible. Then go to that meeting, learn whatever shit I can, then get sleep. Tomorrow, though, is going to focused on nothing but training.' Anko told herself as her eyes narrowed. 'I'm not letting myself get taken down like that again. Next time I fight somebody like Jinpachi, I'm going to skin him alive myself! And I need to make sure that my team can fight like that as well…'

Determination moved throughout Anko's body as she began making preparations for the next day.

After leaving her teammates, Hinata walked through the village streets, looking for the Kibō bakery. It only took her a few minutes to find the building. Compared to other buildings in the area, the bakery seemed to have taken little damage. The only noticeable damage was a few holes on the walls. Hinata quickly walked up to the building and opened it.

Inside was a small sitting area with a couple of tables. At the end of the building was a display case that was filled with various sweets and breads. Sitting at one of the tables were two people. One was a young woman that appeared only a few years older than she was. She had straight red-hair with a white band directly over her forehead, preventing the hair from going too far down into her face. She had on a purple sleeveless kimono with yellow trimmings and seemed to have mesh armor underneath it. She also wore a short white skirt. Sitting across from her was Haku.

The two were drinking from cups when they noticed Hinata's presence. Haku smiled and quickly made a gesture, ushering for her to come over. The Hyūga walked over and bowed before taking her seat.

"It is nice to see you again, Haku-san. And it is nice to meet you too, ma'am. I'm sorry to interrupt." She spoke politely.

"I invited you. No need to apologize." Haku chuckled in response.

"And no need to call me ma'am. I'm not that old!" The woman joined Haku in laughing. "It's just Honoka. Uzumaki Honoka, to be exact."

Hinata's eyes widened at the name. She openly gaped at the red-haired woman in front of her. "U-Uzumaki?"

"Yup." Honoka nodded her head in response. A frown developed on her face. "We're still a clan, you know? Just because Uzushiogakure fell doesn't mean that all Uzumaki are dead."

"N-No! I wasn't trying to imply anything." Hinata quickly spoke up. A smile and a small blush developed on her face. "I just have somebody close to me that will be happy to hear that he has more family still alive?"

"You know another Uzumaki?" Honoka questioned as her eyes started to widen. She appeared to be in disbelief when Hinata nodded in affirmation. A grin then developed on her face. "That's awesome!" She then jumped out of her seat and rushed over to Hinata's face, causing the Hyūga to yelp in surprise. She then clapped her hands in front of the girl and gave her a pleading look. "When the war ends, you got to introduce me to him! Please? Please?"

"I… um, can do that." Hinata mumbled in response, feeling uncomfortable due to the woman's closeness to her.

"Honoka-san, please: let Hinata-san breathe." Haku continued to chuckle.

Honoka immediately calmed down and jumped away from the girl. She returned to her seat and gave her a sheepish look: "S-Sorry about that. I just couldn't contain myself."

"Th-That's fine…" Hinata replied, still feeling a little shaken up. 'Do all Uzumaki get that excited? She really is Naruto-kun's family…'

"Anyway, Hinata-san, I don't mean to rush this, but Honoka-san and I have a meeting we need to get to soon, so I will try and answer your concerns as quickly as possible. You wanted to know about how I was able to hide myself from your Byakugan, right?" Haku questioned.

Hinata immediately calmed down and turned her attention to Haku. She then nodded her head in response.

"I trust that you wouldn't do anything with that ability to me, Haku-san, but I need to know how you can do it. It's… disturbing that you'd be able to." Hinata admitted with a frown.

"I understand." Haku replied. "I hope my answer doesn't disappoint you, though. It's not the most complicated thing."

The Ice Release user proceeded to roll up the sleeves of his uniform until he reached his arm. On his right arm was a sealing tag with an elaborate seal designed to resemble the 'Byakugan Eye'. Hinata looked at it intently and activated her Byakugan. To her surprise, with her eyes, she could not see the sealing tag. It was only visible when she was looking at it without her dōjutsu.

"H-How is that possible?" She mumbled to herself.

"The seal was designed in a manner so that way it would be unnoticeable to everybody. The chakra that's present inside it is transferred instantly into the person's body, meaning there is no chakra signature from it. Nobody would be able to see it unless they physically saw it: not even somebody with a Sharingan or Byakugan. As far as anybody would be concerned, it's just a part of my clothing." Haku answered.

"Unnoticeable…" Hinata continued to repeat those words.

"The seal can be activated with a single hand sign. When it is, the chakra that the seal transferred to the person's body is triggered and it creates a sealing agent from the inside. As long as the chakra on it is active, no chakra can be noticed by any observers." The Ice Release user continue to explain.

"However, the seal will only remain active so long as the user uses no jutsus, and therefore, does not use their chakra. That will result in the person's chakra 'resurfacing'." Honoka spoke up, pride evident in her voice. "Once the person is finished with battle, though, they can reactivate the seal and have their chakra signature 'vanish' completely. It would appear as if they disappeared. The person would then appear to be some standard civilian. It's the perfect camouflage!"

"That's…" Hinata turned her head towards the Uzumaki. She then shook her head. "Th-This seal actually gets past my Byakugan…"

"Mhmm. Also gets past chakra sensors. It's the perfect stealth tool." Honoka declared. She then tightened her left hand into a fist as a grin developed on her face. "One of my proudest creations, honestly."

"You designed it?" Hinata asked. "How?"

"General fūinjutsu knowledge. I'm an Uzumaki. What did you expect?" Honoka questioned with a shrug. "Granted, it took a lot of trial and error. Thankfully, though, I had Misora-san's chakra sensing abilities and Aō-san's Byakugan to practice with. They helped me test out each every seal until I designed that one could get past them. And once I accomplished that, I knew I created-"

"Excuse me." Hinata spoke up, interrupting the Uzumaki. Although she was still interested in hearing more about this seal, as concerning it was to her, the woman had just said something that had stolen Hinata's attention. "Aō-san's Byakugan? You have a Hyūga amongst the rebels?"

'Fuck…' Honoka cursed mentally. '… I should not have said that. I should not have said that.'

"… No." Haku answered after a period of silence. "We do not."

Another period of silence developed amongst the trio. Hinata processed what both of the Kirigakure rebel shinobi said. If this man, Aō, possessed a Byakugan but was not a Hyūga, there was only way he could have received it: by killing a main-branch Hyūga in battle and stealing it for himself. It was this practice that created paranoia amongst the Hyūga clan and resulted in the initial reasoning behind the Main Family and Branch Family split.

"… I see." Hinata finally mumbled in a quiet, emotionless voice.

Haku opened his mouth to say something, but the words died on his tongue as the door to the bakery opened up once again. Zabuza walked in and approached the table.

"The meeting is about to start." He told them sharply.

"Are you Mei's little messenger boy now, Zabuza? That's all you seem to do nowadays." Honoka informed him teasingly.

"Can it, Uzumaki." The swordsman replied stiffly. "Anyway, you two should come with me."

Both Haku and Honoka nodded in response. They proceeded to follow the swordsman out of the room. Haku looked back one time to Hinata, but she didn't bother to look back. He spoke to her, but she gave no reply. She was too focused on her own thoughts.

When she was left alone, the Hyūga started to walk back towards the inn where here team was supposed to stay at. Along the way, she felt her hands tighten into fists. Hearing about Honoka's seal was a disturbing thought to her. Imagining somebody able to get past her Byakugan vision damaged her pride as a shinobi. However, that was not the only though running through her mind. For the first that Hinata could recall, she felt true anger and hatred towards a person.

'Aō-san… you killed family. You stole our Byakugan. And you are a part of the reason why my clan is divided.' She mentally snarled. '… And, for your sake, you better hope we don't come across each other while I am here.'

Upon finishing her letter to the Hokage, Anko summoned a large, brown snake and handed him the scroll with the orders to deliver the scroll as fast as possible. The snake promptly swallowed the scroll to transport it before disappearing in a poof of smoke, heading out to complete its objective. By the time Anko had finished her task, it was now time for the meeting that Mei had invited her to. She promptly left her room in the 'medical unit' and walked down the hallway towards the end-door, where Mei had told her the meeting would take place. The Konoha jōnin opened the door and walked in.

The room was a large, plain room with brick walls and a wooden floor. In the center of the room was a large round table with twelve chairs all around it. Each seat, except one, was already taken.

Anko's eyes wandered as she noted all the people sitting in the room. She immediately noticed Terumī Mei. Sitting next to her on her left was Momochi Zabuza. Sitting next to him, to her surprise, was one of the merchants she had escorted, Haku. Next to him was a young woman with red-hair that reminded the jōnin of an Uzumaki. To the woman's left was a large, muscular man that Anko recognized as Akebino Jinin: another member of Kirigakure's infamous 'Seven Swordsmen of the Kirigakure'. Next to him was a man with glasses and a long blonde hair tied into a pony-tail wearing a black full-body suit and a matching black mask that went to his nose. Anko recognized him as Doku Sugita, the medical shinobi that had treated her after her fight with Jinpachi.

After Sugita, however, Anko stopped recognizing the others in the room. Next to him on his left was a very lean boy with straight white hair and shark-like teeth. Sitting next to him was another boy with short, spiky blue hair with ear protectors, glasses, and similar shark-like teeth. Next to him was a girl their age with brown hair that went to her back that had two large scythes strapped to her back. The most distinguishable feature about her, however, was the pale white eyes and the vacant look that appeared on her face. Directly next to her was an empty seat. Next to that, though, was a middle-aged man with blue hair styled into a spike. Sitting by him was an elderly bald man that appeared to be the only non-shinobi in the room.

Eleven people were all already present in the room. Anko's presence was noted by all of them instantaneously.

"Anko-san, it is nice to see you. And just on time." Mei commented with a smile. "Please take a seat."

The Konoha Snake Mistress nodded her head and quickly moved to the open seat in between the white-eyed girl and the middle-aged man. She then sat down.

"Just to make this easier for you, we should introduce ourselves." Mei informed the rest of the people in the room. She then faced Anko. "As you know, my name is Terumī Mei."

"You know who I am." Zabuza grumbled dismissively.

"You also know who I am." Haku stated with a chuckle. "Pleasure to see you again, Anko-san. I'm sure you have a lot of questions for me."

"I do, but I'll hold them for now." Anko informed him.

"By all means. Or you can ask your team. Either way." The boy replied with a shrug.

"Moving along," Mei interrupted, gesturing towards the woman next to Haku.

"I'm Uzumaki Honoka!" She greeted with a bow.

'Knew she was an Uzumaki!' Anko mentally grinned, happy that her suspicion was correct.

"Is this really necessary to introduce us all like this? This feels like a waste of time." The muscular man next to Honoka, Jinin, questioned. "… I guess it doesn't really matter. Anyway, my name is-"

Anko, recalling information she had read from the bingo book, proceeded to interrupt him: "Akebino Jinin, one of the Seven Swordsman of Kirigakure. Known for your heroics in battle, always willing to rush in against a swarm of enemies. Also known for your use of the sword, Kabutowari – the Helmet Splitter."

Jinin gave the woman a surprised look for a second before it turned into a wide grin. He then started to laugh raucously.

"It's been way too long since somebody actually recognized me. You… I like you!" Jinin declared as he gave a thumbs up gesture. "First round of sake is on me."

'… I have just found my new best friend.' Anko couldn't resist the urge to grin.

"Again, moving along to more important matters," The blonde-haired man next to Jinin, Sugita, spoke up and drew the attention towards him, "We met earlier, Anko-san, but if you do not remember my name, it is Doku Sugita."

"I do. You patched me up well." Anko informed him. "Thank you for that, Sugita-san."

"Do not thank me. It is my duty as a medic. I love treating people and being of use to others." Sugita shrugged in response. "I should be thanking you for your service by helping fend off Yagura's shinobi."

Sugita appeared as if he was going to say more, but Mei proceeded to cough, prompting the next person to continue speaking. The white-haired boy proceeded to face Anko and gave her a smirk.

"Hozuki Suigetsu." He said his name.

"I, um, well, I'm Ch-Ch-Chōjūrō." The blue-haired boy next to him mumbled in response. A bright red blush was on his cheeks as he looked at Anko. "I-It's nice t-to meet you."

"… My name is Kawada Misora." The brown-haired, white-eyed girl sitting next to Anko, spoke with a calm, neutral tone-of-voice. "Pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"I'm Aō." The middle-aged man stated curtly.

"And I'm Fujiwara Shichō and I'm the mayor of the lovely village of Kibō." The bald man introduced himself cheerfully.

"Now that introductions are over, let's begin and not waste any more time." Mei spoke up quickly. She then turned to face Sugita. "You and the rest of the medics had enough to treat everybody. What are your reports?"

"No civilian casualties. Thanks to initial support of Anko-san and her team and the quick response of our shinobi, we managed to get all civilians to shelter." Sugita informed her.

"What a relief!" Shichō exclaimed, feeling relief that the residents of his village all managed to survive.

"… The shinobi casualty rate, however, was eighteen shinobi." Sugita continued. "We also had a fair amount of shinobi injured."

"Considering our size, eighteen is a bad number." Honoka frowned in response.

"But that is also eighteen good men and women who died honorably in battle, defending the people. There's no better fate for us shinobi." Jinin mentioned.

"Yes there is. How about if they were still alive?" Honoka questioned as she glared at the man.

"I didn't say I wanted them dead." Jinin replied dismissively. He crossed his arms over his chest. "I just said that was an honorable death. We're all gonna die someday. It's better if it's honorable."

"Let's focus on the topic of this meeting." Mei interrupted. She then turned her head towards Haku. "How fast do you believe information about this will spread?"

"It's already spreading." Haku chuckled in response. "I've been listening to the civilians talk. They're chatty people and are talking about how Yagura couldn't destroy them or beat the rebels. News will spread quickly all over Mizu no Kuni."

"This is good." Suigetsu grinned at the news. "The rest of the country will realize how badass we are. We'll have more support!"

"To play devil's advocate, though, that also means Yagura will hear this information rather quickly and know he's losing his image." Misora spoke up. "That'll aggravate him and motivate him to send out more attacks against us… or maybe for him to personally lead the next attack."

Suigetsu's grin died instantly. Silence filled the room for a moment as the rebels imagined a personal invasion led by Yagura.

"… This civil war has gone on long enough." Mei sighed, breaking the silence. "We need to end it as soon as possible."

"We could always go with my idea and just invade Kiri already." Jinin offered. "Kill Yagura and slaughter all the troops that are loyal to him. The end."

"Jinin, you're an idiot." Aō shook his head. "It's not that simple."

The swordsman responded to that comment by slamming his fist on to the table. "Well why the fuck isn't it? We have to do it eventually, you know! The longer we wait, the more time we risk letting Yagura do his shit throughout Mizu no Kuni. And the longer we risk him getting the idea of just attacking us himself! We need to get in and get him killed as soon as possible already dammit!"

"Jinin, shut up for a moment." Zabuza spoke up, glaring at his fellow swordsman. "We all want to rush-in and kill Yagura, but it's not that simple and you know it. We have to be prepared for the invasion and we have to be able to guarantee that he will die when we attack. One small mistake and the rebellion dies with us. This isn't something to blindly rush into and you know that!"

"Bah!" Jinin scoffed, crossing his arms again.

"Fool. It's a wonder how you became one of the Seven Swordsman of Kirigakure." Aō continued to shake his head. "Anybody else want to let the man know why it's a foolish idea?"

"I actually agree with him." Misora spoke up.

Attention turned to the brown-haired, white-eyed girl in the room. Most of the rebels looked at her in surprise.

"Wh-Why?" Aō questioned. "Misora, you pride yourself on your rational mind. Why would you ever condone such an idea? "

"As I said, news will spread to Yagura. He'll have to begin thinking of invading soon. Probably no later than two months, he will do it. And that'll be the end if we let him attack us and unleash the Sanbi on us." Misora replied. "Therefore, we must act during that time frame and attack first."

"Heh. My kind of attitude!" Jinin grinned in response.

"And how would you propose we unleash a strong enough attack against Kirigakure?" Aō continued to question.

Misora turned to face Anko. "When Konoha reinforcements join-up with us, we should have enough numbers to succeed in the invasion."

"Excuse me?" Anko, who had been silent since her introduction, spoke up. She gave the girl an angry look. "I didn't say anything about Konoha sending reinforcements."

"But they will. Surely you are going to request for back-up." Misora mentioned. She seemed to have no reaction to Anko's anger. It appeared as if she didn't even notice the anger on her face. "Why else would Mei-sama invite you here? Surely you are planning on sending help."

"I never-"

"We probably don't need any help... but it couldn't hurt." Suigetsu spoke up, interrupting Anko.

"If Konoha sent even just a hundred shinobi, we would probably be able to succeed." Sugita offered his opinion.

"I would think so." Honoka nodded in agreement.

"Konoha may not send any shinobi!" Anko shouted, raising her voice over everybody else's. Attention focused now on her. "I sent a message to Hokage-sama about the situation, but there is no guarantee we will be doing anything. We just fended off an attack from Oto and Suna. We're focusing on rebuilding what has been destroyed. We may not be able to send people."

"Your presence has already been noted in Mizu no Kuni, though." Misora spoke up immediately. "It's not a matter of if Konoha should send shinobi. It's a matter of when to send them over. After all, Yagura will declare war on Konoha for interference in the civil war." She then closed her eyes in thought. "It would be foolish to simply wait for him to rout us and be able to focus his attention solely on Konoha when you can send shinobi to assist us and take him out before such events could occur."

"Listen, brat. It is the Hokage that makes the call. And if he doesn't send any shinobi to help, then that'll be it." Anko replied dismissively.

"That'd be an illogical decision-"

"But it's not your decision to make!" Anko hissed, interrupting her. "… Or mine for that matter. I unfortunately got Konoha involved in this mess. I don't regret fighting to keep civilians involved, but I caused an issue for Konoha. So I'm not going to do anything or represent Konoha in anyway until I figure out what Hokage-sama feels should be done."

Misora opened her eyes once again and focused intently on Anko. A few seconds passed before she shook her head before mumbling out a response: "Understood."

"Your point is noted, Anko-san." Mei stated, entering the conversation. "I appreciate your honesty and we will respect that. We will not expect Konoha's assistance and plan in case your Hokage sends no aid." The woman then turned her attention to the rest of the rebels. "However, I still agree with Jinin and Misora. We should invade immediately."

"And if we don't get Konoha's aid, how do you propose we do that?" Aō continued to question.

Mei turned her attention towards the middle-aged man: "I have a mission for you, Aō. You and whatever shinobi you take with you will be assigned to track down Utakata and bring him back."

'Utakata?' Anko's eyes widened in recognition. 'Where have I heard that name before?'

"What?" Aō spoke-up, interrupting her thoughts. "Mei-sama, you know Utakata hates us. He hates everybody and won't join us willingly."

"I never anything about getting him to come willingly. I said get him to come." Mei clarified. "Whether or not Konoha sends shinobi or not, we need him with us to be able to match Yagura."

"But he sh-should come willingly. If Utakata gets angry, he could try t-to kill Aō-san and any other sh-shinobi with him." Chōjūrō mentioned, looking down.

"I realize that. However, we have to do something, anything, to get Utakata's help." Mei declared. She remained quiet for a moment before speaking up again towards Aō. "Wait a few days until I tell you to go on the mission. I'm going to personally hand-pick this team for you. I want to guarantee a group that would be able to non-violently bring him back."

"As you will." Aō declared.

"Not to rush this meeting, but is there anything else we need to discuss in particular that needs me?" Sugita questioned, speaking-up again. "There are still patients that require my assistance."

"… No. I just want to clarify things with you all." Mei replied. She turned her attention towards the bald civilian in the room. "Shichō, I will order shinobi to begin working on repairs dipping into funds. After that, I would like to discuss a new budget for how we are spending them. I'd like to see if we can hire a few missing ninja to work for us. Any extra help to bolster our strength for now."

"I understand. We can work out agreements whenever." Shichō nodded his head in understanding.

"As for the rest of you, our invasion will happen shortly after we eventually bring back Utakata and, if we are fortunate enough, when Konoha shinobi join us." Mei informed the rest of the shinobi. "For now, I want you all to keep training. Get stronger to prepare for the invasion. It must occur without a single problem. Am I understood?"

"Understood!" The Kirigakure rebels all declared in unison.

"Good." Mei nodded her head in understanding. "Then you are all dismissed.

With those words, the rebels proceeded to get-out of their chairs and walk out of the room. In a few moments, Anko and Mei were left alone in the room. The auburn-haired woman proceeded to sigh.

"You seem tired." Anko commented.

"I am. I'm normally not this serious. I hate politics." Mei replied with a frown. "But this is serious business. Every action I make has the weight of all the lives in the rebellion and everybody in Mizu no Kuni."

"I understand that. And I respect that. I really respect you as a woman who is putting her all in to save her country. To be honest, I think you'd make a good role model for young kunoichi." Anko stated. Her eyes then narrowed into a glare. "I don't, however, respect that you tried to sucker me into getting Konoha involved in your war. Is that why I was invited to this damn thing?"

"No, although I was planning on asking you about Konoha." Mei admitted. "It seemed as if Misora seemed to come to the same idea as well, though. I hope you can forgive her for being so… blunt about the issue."

"She's an annoying brat." Anko concluded.

"Honestly, she's a good kid. She's extremely intelligent and is somebody who can discuss anything with anybody. I'm sure you'd like her if you gave her the chance." The rebel stated. "But that doesn't matter. I wasn't trying to force you or Konoha into something. I'll respect the Hokage's orders if he requires you all to leave. I did, however, want to see if you could even make the request."

"I already sent my letter, explaining the situation and listing what I thought were options that he could take. He'll make-up his mind and go with something." The Konoha jōnin said with a sigh. "… Look, I'm not trying to be a bitch or something. I sympathize with the situation and that's why I had my team try and help defend the village from that attack. But I really don't know if Konoha is even in a position to help fight a war – even if it's just a battle. All I can say is that I'll follow the Hokage's orders and if he wants us to stay and fight, I'll do it."

"I appreciate that, at least." Mei said. "… If you may, I'd like to hear back as soon as you get a response. I want to make necessary preparations for this invasion as soon as possible."

"Sure thing." Anko replied. The Konoha jōnin proceeded to start walking towards the door. "If that's all, though, I'm going to go back to my inn. It's been a long day."

"Before you leave Anko-san," Mei called out to the woman. Anko stopped walking and turned to face her. "I would like to extend an offer. The rebels need training for the invasion. If you or any of your subordinates would like a chance to spar, I know anybody would accept." A grin then developed on Mei's face. "Myself included. Word spread about your involvement with Orochimaru's death. I'd love a chance to fight you."

A similar grin developed on Anko's face as she continued to walk towards the door. "Give me a time. I'll be up for any sparring."

With those words, Anko proceeded to leave and went on her way towards the inn.

The morning came quickly for everyone in the village of Kibō. Sounds of reconstruction disturbed sleep as people, both shinobi and civilians, began working on repairing buildings that were damaged in the attack. By the time the sun had officially rose into the sky, everyone was awake and beginning their necessary work.

The Konoha shinobi were no exception to this rule. After a brief breakfast in the inn, Anko rushed over her team to a clearing in the forest that surrounded the village. Along the way to the clearing, Anko began to tell the team about the meeting she had observed. By the time they arrived, she had finished explaining everything.

"So if this invasion is happening, then the Kirigakure Civil War should be ending soon." Shikamaru noted. "Either the shinobi loyal to the Mizukage or the rebels will win in the invasion. And that victory will determine who wins the war."

"Yup." Anko sighed in response.

"What is your opinion about this? Do you believe that Hokage-sama will wish to get involved in the conflict?" Dosu questioned.

"… Honestly, it's a matter of if he can afford it. I know the type of person he is and he would support the rebels over Yagura's troops. He'll want to help take him down. However, keep in mind the Suna/Oto invasion. I don't know if he can afford to send any more people down. And I'm pretty sure that the damn advisers he has will tell him not to send anybody." Anko grumbled in response. "So, I don't know, but I'm expecting that we will be ordered to not help and return back home."

A frown developed on Hinata's face. "Hopefully will work out fine here, then."

"Mei's resourceful and she's got some damn fine shinobi under her. I trust that they'd be fine." Anko informed her. "However, even though I believe we won't be fighting, I want us to consider the possibility of receiving orders to help."

"Hmm?" The three Konoha shinobi each gave her a curious look.

"If we did get orders to fight, we'd be helping out with this invasion. We'd all be fighting Kirigakure shinobi that, to be honest, will be a lot stronger than the ones who tried to invade Kibō. And we'd be fighting a much larger amount. And I have to admit, I'd be concerned about our survival in such a situation." Anko admitted with a sigh. "Surviving an oncoming invasion is one thing… surviving an invasion that you are part of is another. And it's a task that has a lot more inherent risk of death. There's a lot more variables that need to be taken into consideration. Even if our side won, there's a chance we could be on the 'casualty' list.

"So, if we end-up being ordered to help with the invasion, I want to make sure that we all are able to survive it. We're going to all be going through an extreme training regime." The jōnin declared intensely.

Hinata, Shikamaru, and Dosu immediately gave looks of determination at the jōnin. They remained quiet, waiting to hear her next works.

"I know I'm higher-rank than you three and I am the leader of this team, but I won't be training you three. No, you will train at my level. I will push you three to keep up. And if you want any chance to survive an invasion like the one that's being planned, then you all better damn well keep up with me."

"… When do we start?" Shikamaru questioned, speaking up for the group.

A grin developed on Anko's face: "Right now."

Four hours had passed since the Konoha shinobi began their training. Hinata, Shikamaru, and Dosu were currently breathing heavily as they struggled to remain standing. Each of them were bleeding heavily on various parts of their arms and legs. Anko stood directly in front of them, staring at them intently. Although she was still much more composed then them, she did show signs of fatigue. She also had a few cuts on her arms that were still bleeding.

When Anko took training seriously at her level, her regime rivaled Maito Gai's personal training. It was intense for anybody that hadn't reached a jōnin's chakra levels, chakra control, strength, stamina, and reflexes, but it was necessary in her mind. This wasn't simply pushing her and her team to getting stronger: this was shoving them off a cliff.

"Do you… do this to yourself… all the time?" Dosu questioned.

"Yup. Usually a little tougher, though. Konoha has Training Ground Forty-four, which is an ideal environment for this type of training." Anko replied with a shrug.

"Isn't that… the Forest of Death from the Chūnin Exams?" Hinata asked. Her question suggested surprise, but her tone did not convey the emotion. She was too tired to feel anything other than exhaustion.

"Yes it is. I forgot that you all have been in there for a moment." The jōnin chuckled in response. "When we are back in Konoha, I'll encourage group training-sessions there. That'll really toughen you brats up."

"… Great." Shikamaru sighed.

"Anyway, we'll take a break for a little bit." Anko replied. "After that, I'd suggest you all do some independent training. Maybe find some rebel shinobi and ask to spar them. Mei extended the offer and it'd be a good opportunity. We all need to get tougher, after all. I know I got a few people on my personal list I'd like to test myself against.

"Sparring is fine, but… probably not right now." Dosu replied. The boy appeared to be breathing the heaviest amongst the team. "I can't speak… for Hinata-san and Shikamaru-san… but I'm exhausted… and would make a horrible sparring partner."

"Oh. I suppose." Anko shrugged in response. "I'll take you guys to medical and get you all treated."

"Medical? But… we aren't part of the rebels." Hinata, despite her own exhaustion, found the ability to frown. "They probably… have their own priorities. I wouldn't want to bother them."

"Eh, they should be able to look at you guys at least. I met the director of the medical corps here: a guy named Doku Sugita. And he's a cool guy whose overly passionate about treating wounds and stuff. He'll definitely make the time to look at you guys!" Anko told them with a chuckle.

"What did you do to them?" Sugita questioned Anko excitedly.

Anko was right: Doku Sugita was a man who would take the time to treat their wounds without a second thought. Anko, however, underplayed how 'passionate' he was about treating the wounds. His eyes were currently rushing from wound-to-wound on each of three Konoha shinobi as he began to come-up with his own scenarios about how each wound occurred.

"Training." The Konoha jōnin replied with a shrug.

"Just training?" Sugita commented as he began taking blood samples of the three Konoha shinobi. "What type of training?"

"Well, the first thing we did was-"

"Oh look: your blood type is AB." Sugita interrupted the woman after examining the blood sample he took from Shikamaru. "Would you consider yourself somebody who is cool, rational, and adaptable?"

"I… suppose?" Shikamaru blinked in confusion.

"Just curious. You're also probably irresponsible." The medic replied with a chuckle. A scowl developed on Shikamaru's face, but he ignored it. Sugita then looked at the blood sample he took from Hinata. "And you're a type A. Very reserved, but you're also patient and very responsible, although you have a tendency to be too stubborn at moments."

"Er…" Hinata mumbled in response.

"And you're an O?" He then turned his attention to Dosu. "Confident and intuitive, I bet! But you definitely have a 'cold'-side to you and can come across self-centered."

Dosu immediately realized what Sugita was rambling about. This caused the boy to sigh in response.

"You're one of those people who believe in ketsueki-gata." He stated. "You think a person's blood type reflects their personality and compatibility with others."

"I don't 'think'. I know." Sugita replied with a grin. "I believe there's more to it then what's known, though, and I wish more research was done on the topic. I think there's definitely a lot more-"

"Can you please get back to treating their wounds?" Anko questioned with an irritated look on her face.

"… Oh. Right." Sugita mumbled in response. "You are right, Dosu-san, it's a passion of mine and I get a little carried away at times. My apologies if I unnerved any of you."

"… Don't be?" Hinata replied, still appearing confused. To be honest, she had never heard anything about this ketsueki-gata and didn't understand what it was about. How could a blood type say so much about a person? She didn't understand and, therefore, wasn't really certain what she was supposed to think about Sugita.

"Anyway, as Anko-san has said, let's get to the actual treatment." Sugita declared.

Despite his eccentricities, Sugita proved to be an exceptional medic and healed the wounds of Hinata, Shikamaru, and Dosu. After leaving the medical unit of Kibō, Anko ordered her students to take a break until sunset, asking them to train independently or seek out somebody in the village to spar. With those words, the Konoha shinobi split apart and went their separate ways for the day.

Hinata, in particular, had a specific person she wanted to seek out. She quickly asked around and was directed towards the same bakery that she had visited the previous night. The Hyūga walked inside and saw Uzumaki Honoka sitting in the same spot, eating a strawberry-filled pastry while drawing a seal on a sealing paper. She didn't appear to notice the Hyūga's presence; she was too invested in her own activities.

"Honoka-san?" Hinata spoke up. The Uzumaki turned her attention to the Uzumaki instantly, mid-bite of her snack. "Excuse my interruption. Can I talk to you for a moment?"

Honoka nodded her head immediately and swallowed the bite in her mouth before speaking: "What's up?"

"I… just wanted to clarify on what you said last night." Hinata mumbled. "You can make a seal that can cause a person to avoid detection from my Byakugan?"

"Yup. One of my most amazing accomplishments. The magnificence of fūinjutsu!" The Uzumaki grinned in response. "What about it though?"

"Would you say there are ways to get past it?" Hinata asked.

"Why do you want to know?" Honoka questioned, giving the girl a curious look. "I know you guys may not be fighting with us, but we aren't your enemies. I guarantee you that nobody you would ever fight would have any of my seals."

"I… realize that. But just because you managed to find a way to beat the Byakugan's 'all-seeing' vision doesn't mean you are the only one who managed that. There… there may be others who can do that. And that would make my eyes worthless… and make me worthless." The Hyūga admitted, her eyes looking downward.

"It doesn't mean you're worthless! I'm sure you could probably still take somebody in a fight." Honoka reassured the girl.

"I-I know, but I'm a Hyūga. The Byakugan is important to my fighting style… and to me in general. I… I'm not very prideful in many things about my clan, but I always took pride in my eyes and how good my vision was. And the fact that there are people that can get past it completely…" Hinata shook her head, pushing thoughts out of her mind. "I… I want to train with you: both in fighting and in my vision. I want to make my eyes strong enough that I can see past your seals."

A similar frown developed on Honoka's face. "… You know I designed those seals for a reason, right? The fact that the Byakugan can't see a person using one is kinda the point. I don't want anybody else getting your idea and start training on improving their vision or 'chakra sensing' to be able to see past my seals."

"I… realize that. And I really am impressed you managed to design a seal like that. It really says a lot about your strength as a seal master." Hinata mentioned. Honoka smiled briefly, but it disappeared as Hinata continued to speak. "But… understand where I am coming from as a Hyūga." She looked at the Uzumaki with pleading eyes. "Do you think it'd be even possible for me to see past the seals?"

Honoka closed her eyes in thought as she thought about the question. She brought her right hand to her chin and rubbed it slightly. A few seconds passed before she opened her eyes again.

"There's always room for improvement in anything. I think my seal is pretty flawless, but I could always see someone advanced enough breaking past it." She admitted. She then let a small chuckle escape her lips. "Your Byakugan would have to be better than Aō's though. Just saying."

Hinata's eyes immediately narrowed and a scowl developed on her lips. "He's not a Hyūga."

The response caused Honoka's eyes to widen. Her frown deepened as she recalled their conversation the night and how 'emotionless' Hinata appeared after hearing about Aō. The Uzumaki proceeded to squirm awkwardly in her seat.

"… You, uh, don't hate us, right? For having somebody who took a Byakugan from a family member as part of the rebels?" She asked quietly.

Hinata immediately softened at Honoka's tone. Her scowl turned back into a frown. She then proceeded to shake her head.

"No. I don't hate you or the rebels. It's just…" Hinata sighed. She was uncomfortable discussing her feelings about 'Aō'. "I don't know this Aō-san nor do I know what kind of person he is, but he has done something an act that has caused much suffering in my clan. And I'd really rather not ever meet him for as long as I'm here."

"… I understand. I wouldn't worry about that, though. He's a stiff. He doesn't hang around the village that often. You shouldn't have problems avoiding him." Honoka admitted.

Hearing that caused Hinata to sigh in relief. The Hyūga was disturbed by how much anger she could feel in herself towards the man. It was a discomforting feeling to have and she wanted to avoid feeling it as much as she could. As long as she could avoid meeting 'Aō', then she wouldn't have to focus on it.

"Anyway, I suppose I could try helping you get better with your vision and see if you can eventually see past my seal." Honoka spoke-up, interrupting Hinata's thoughts. "Hell, we could probably spar in general. I really do need to train more."

"You'll train with me?" Hinata asked.

"Yup." Honoka replied with a shrug. She quickly put away the sealing paper she had been working on and grabbed her pastry. She then started to walk towards the door of the bakery. "Follow me. I know a nice place where I think we can practice."

A smile developed on Hinata's face. Despite the ranging emotions within her, Honoka did seem like a nice woman and she was going to get proper training done.

'I'll get my vision better. I will become the strongest shinobi I can!' She told herself.

With that thought, the Hyūga followed the Uzumaki out of the bakery.

When dismissed, Dosu immediately left the village's limits and looked for someplace where he could meditate and train quietly by himself. Although he did recognize Anko's suggestion of working with one of the rebel shinobis as being beneficial, he was somebody who preferred little social interaction. He rationalized it with himself and began searching for an ideal location for him.

It took him a few minutes to come across a small lake nearby the village that had plenty of open space around it. Only a few scattered trees were nearby. Dosu, assuming this would be a good, quiet area for him to train, decided to begin working immediately. He proceeded to walk over the water of the lake until he was at the center. Once he was there, he sat down on the water, closed his eyes, and proceeded to meditate while simultaneously keeping his body on-top of the water.

His eyes shot open upon hearing approaching footsteps. The boy stood upward and jumped to one of the trees. He then climbed upwards and prepared to ambush the person if they proved to be a threat.

A few moments passed before the person arrived on the scene. It was a girl roughly around his age. She had long, straight brown hair that went down to her back and clear white eyes. She wore a dark blue t-shirt underneath a black flak jacket. She also wore a pair of matching black pants and had matching pin-striped arm and leg guards. Attached to the back of her jacket were two large scythes. The girl wore her Kirigakure forehead protector around her neck.

Underneath his bandages, Dosu blushed slightly. 'She's beautiful…'

Upon entering the area, she turned her head immediately to the tree Dosu was in: "I know you are there, Konoha shinobi. I'm no threat to you, so you can come out."

A few seconds passed before Dosu jumped down from his tree. Although he did find her attractive, he was able to shove those thoughts to the back of his mind. He remained motionless as he stared at her intently, trying to analyze her. The girl, however, did not reciprocate his look. She didn't appear to be staring at anything in particular.

"I was unaware somebody else would be coming out here to train." He told her.

"This is usually where I train every day." The girl informed him simply. Each sentence she said seemed to have the same neutral, uncaring tone.

"My apologies. I can move elsewhere." Dosu mentioned as he prepared to walk off.

"Why? You're already here and I do not mind. Perhaps I could train with you?" She questioned. "My name is Kawada Misora."

"Kinuta Dosu." Dosu gave his name. He then stared at the girl curiously. "Kawada? You are a member of the Kawada clan?"

"I am. One of the few surviving members after Yagura's bloodline hunts began." She mentioned. For the first time, emotion seemed to color her tone; anger was present in her words.

"Then you must be an exceptional chakra sensor with abilities that rival a Hyūga's Byakugan." Dosu commented. "You also must be quite adept at using the Hidden Mist Jutsu. If I recall, it was your clan that designed the technique for Kirigakure."

"Hmm." Misora hummed to herself. She seemed impressed by Dosu's deductions. "You know some specific information about my clan. Most people have become unaware of my clan since the end of the Third Shinobi World War. How interesting."

"I read a lot. I know quite a bit about most clans around the world." Dosu replied with a slight shrug.

"That's a practical study. It makes you prepared for different enemy shinobi." Misora noted. A curious look then developed in her eyes as she reached for one of her scythes. "I wonder how useful that information really is though in combat."

"You wish to spar?" The bandage-wearing boy questioned.

"Of course. I would like to test the information you have." She stated sharply.

Dosu originally did not want to interact too much with the rebel shinobi, but he felt himself feeling comfortable with this girl. He could tell by her word choice and the way she talked that she was not somebody who enjoyed meaningless conversation. She was to the point and wouldn't try to question him about his life. The two of them would be able to effectively train together.

"... I would also like to test the accuracy of my information." Dosu replied as he got into a stance to fight. He gripped his gauntlet tightly.

"Whenever you are ready." Misora replied with a slight taunting-edge to her voice.

With those words, the two shinobi charged at each other.

Shikamaru grumbled to himself, mumbling various profanities as he continued to walk through the streets. When the group was dismissed, Shikamaru began to ask around, looking for a particular person he would like to train with: Haku. He found an answer rather quickly; Haku was usually wherever Momochi Zabuza was, training with him. What was annoying, however, was that nobody could give a straight answer where Zabuza would be.

It took him roughly a full half-hour before he finally received a straight answer. Upon getting it, Shikamaru began walking towards a large, plain-looking grey building on the edge of town. It was described to Shikamaru as a warehouse, but the building apparently had a large open area that was suitable for training. Taking a deep breath, the Nara opened the door to the warehouse and walked inside.

"Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire Jutsu!"

"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet!"

Shikamaru stared wide-eyed as he watched two large dragons, one made of fire and one of water, collide against each other. Both 'dragon-elemental' attacks canceled each other out. Shikamaru then turned his head and noticed the two combatants in the warehouse: Zabuza and Anko.

"Your fire actually managed to evaporate my water dragon. I'm impressed." Zabuza admitted with a smirk.

"Of course." Anko grinned. "But you're no slouch either. I'm impressed you made that many hand signs so quickly to use that jutsu."

"If you're a shinobi and you are not quick, then you're dead." He replied with a scoff. He tightened his grip on his large broadsword.

"Then show me how quick you really are!" Anko challenged.

The two jōnin proceeded to charge at each-other. Zabuza immediately swung her sword directly at her, trying to cut at her. Anko jumped upwards and avoided the attack. She then held out her hand and released multiple snakes from underneath the sleeve of her jacket. The snakes rushed at Zabuza, but the swordsman jumped backwards. The snakes continued to charge after him. Zabuza, this time, side-stepped and avoided their advances. He then charged once again towards Anko, gripping his sword tightly and preparing to try cutting her again.

"Intense, isn't it?"

Shikamaru mentally jumped at the new voice. He turned his head to the left and noticed Haku approaching him. The Ice Release user was currently watching the fight intently.

"Anko-san is much tougher than I thought. She can keep Zabuza-sama on his toes and force him to take their sparring seriously. This is a good match for them both. Especially because, from what I heard, she had a bad match against Jinpachi. Zabuza-sama is somebody who can really prepare for another fight with Jinpachi if it ever comes up." Haku mentioned.

"They're good. Then again, that's why they're jōnin and why they have entries in the bingo book." Shikamaru replied with a shrug. He turned his whole attention away from the fight and on to Haku. "I was looking for you actually, Haku. Do you mind training with me?"

"Train?" Haku gave him a confused look. "What did you have in mind? Do exercises and work on jutsu together, or simply spar?"

"Anything. As long as we both get stronger, I don't care what we do." The Konoha shinobi replied with a sigh. "I don't know if we're going to war with you guys, but we could and I'd like to be prepared for anything. I'd like somebody who could push me to get stronger."

"There are probably better people to ask." Haku commented. "I could give you some other names-"

"Haku, I know you are stronger than me. That's all I need. I just want to train with somebody that's better than me." Shikamaru interrupted him.

"… Alright. Follow me then." Haku mentioned as he started to walk towards the exit of the warehouse. "Why do you want to be stronger, though?"

"Hmm?" Shikamaru seemed confused by his question.

The two shinobi stopped talking until they got out of the warehouse, leaving Anko and Zabuza to their spar. Once outside, Haku started to walk towards a training area he was familiar with. Along the way, he asked Shikamaru his question again.

"Why do you want to be stronger? Is it simply because of the war?" He clarified. "Is it all about not wanting to die?"

"I'd be lying if I said that wasn't a factor. No, I don't want to die." Shikamaru shrugged in response. "But more than that, I don't want my comrades to die." A scowl developed on his face. "That incident in the restaurant during the invasion could have ended disastrously if you and the other rebels didn't intervene. There had to have been something I could have done to prevent Hinata, Dosu and I from being in that situation. But I didn't do it and we nearly died. I… I don't want that to happen again. I want to be physically and mentally capable enough to keep my allies alive in any given scenario. That's why I need to get stronger!"

"… Heh." Haku chuckled in response. "That must be the infamous Will of Fire talking."

"There's a reason it's our village's mantra." Shikamaru replied sharply.

"Oh no, don't believe that I was mocking it. Far from it. I really respect the belief. It's an attitude I hope Kiri is able to borrow when this war is over." The Ice-Release user admitted. " Regardless, I agree with your beliefs and I share them. I wish to get stronger as well to keep Zabuza-sama, Mei-sama, and my comrades alive. You and I can both work together and get us closer to achieving this goal."

"Sounds good to me." The Nara smirked.

The two shinobi continued on their walk towards Haku's training grounds, prepared to give it their all and get closer to achieving their goal.

'Ugh…'

Naruto grumbled to himself a he moved back and forth in his sleeping bag. The boy had a difficult time sleeping since he got to Uzushiogakure. The ruined village was not a comforting place: both metaphorically and literally. Still, he always found himself able to sleep eventually. Tonight, however, it seemed as if sleep was not going to come to him.

'It's probably cause we're leaving tomorrow…' Naruto realized.

Jiraiya had informed the Uzumaki cousins that they had spent enough time in Uzushiogakure. They were going to have to head back to Konoha and give their reports about the village's condition. Once again, Naruto was excited to return back home. He was looking forward to seeing his village and his friends. However, despite its condition, the blonde Uzumaki found himself attached to Uzushiogakure. He didn't want to leave…

Realizing that with such thoughts he wasn't going to sleep, Naruto pulled himself out of his sleeping bag. He then walked out of the room where he, his cousins, and Jiraiya were sleeping.

The boy had intended on walking around the village and just seeing the locations one-more time. When he left his room, however, he was greeted by Masakado. The Sandaime Uzukage was currently mulling over a seal, drawing meticulously.

"You're awake Naruto?" Masakado questioned, not looking up from his seal.

"Yeah." Naruto admitted. "I'm having a hard time sleeping."

"Just stop trying. Sleep is a useless bastard. Nighttime is a much more productive time period to get work accomplished. Trust me, kid; it's best to embrace insomnia." Masakado informed him with a chuckle. "If your body really needed to rest, it'll force you to."

"Heh, I guess you have a point." Naruto chuckled in response. "So, do you care if I work with you?"

"Go right ahead." The elder Uzumaki shrugged in response. "Anything in particular, though? I know Jiraiya and I just showed you three brats some combat-related fūinjutsu, so you going to work on them?"

"Nah. I like the jutsus you showed, but they're not for me." Naruto shrugged in response. He then pulled out a scroll, a scroll that he took from the jutsu library when he first started to explore the temple of Uzushiogakure. "This is what I'm going to work on."

Masakado turned away from his own-work to look at Naruto's scroll. The man immediately recognized it as Wind Style: Hurricane Manifestation. He then snorted in response.

"You just started learning fūinjutsu, kid. You think you can pick-up one of the jutsus I designed?" Masakado challenged.

"Of course I can dattebayo! I'll have it ready for the next time I fight somebody!" Naruto declared.

"Good luck." The elder Uzumaki snorted once again.

The two Uzumaki fell into silence as they began working on their seals. They remained focused on their seals and drawing the appropriate symbols with as accurately as possible. Naruto's seal, however, was significantly less complicated than the fūinjutsu Masakado was working on. He, therefore, finished first. He then placed his fingers on the seal and turned to face the former Uzukage.

"How much chakra do you think should be used on the seal?" Naruto questioned.

"However much you want. That jutsu is pretty powerful, so it could handle a good chunk of chakra." Masakado shrugged in response. "Don't too much power, though. You could break down the ceiling of the temple if you have it too powerful."

Naruto nodded in understanding. After channeling a small amount of chakra, he made a series of hand signs: "Wind Style: Hurricane Manifestation!"

Instantly, the seal lit-up and channeled a green light. Within seconds, a tornado-like gust of wind developed upward from the seal. The wind flew upward, making direct contact with the ceiling. Cracks began to develop on the ceiling as the wind hit it directly, but it remained stable.

Masakado turned his attention away from his seal and looked at the created-tornado. The man was staring at with shock evident on his face.

"HELL YEAH!" Naruto couldn't help but shout as he started to jump up-and-down. "I did it! I did it!"

'He was just looking at that jutsu for the first time? How the fuck…' Masakado tried to rationalize the situation in his mind. "Naruto, how the hell did you do that on your first time?"

"I just tried to apply what you and Ero-Sennin taught us. It worked." Naruto shrugged. "The hardest part was just getting the symbols and hand-writing right, but after all that practice when we started, it wasn't that bad."

'After just a week of lessons and he accomplishes combat fūinjutsu at that level so easy? I… He really has inherited the Uzumaki's affinity for the art.' Masakado noted with a proud smile on his face.

"I know I'll need to be able to write a lot faster to use it in battle, but I'll keep working on that!" The blonde declared, tightening his fists in determination.

"No, don't be concerned about that. That was your first time looking at the seal. Of course you'd be slow. You'll get faster with practice." Masakado informed him, his smile growing wider. "You've done well, Naruto. You're a true Uzumaki."

A similar wide smile developed on Naruto's face. The blonde quickly rushed over to the elder and hugged him tightly. "Thank you so much for everything, Masakado-jī-san!"

"Why thank me? I just taught you a little fūinjutsu. You're an Uzumaki. You would have picked up at some point." The man shrugged. Tears then developed in his eyes. "… I should be thanking you and your cousins. Thank you for being alive… and for giving me a family again."

His words brought Naruto to tears. The hug tightened. Both Uzumaki did not speak during their hug. They remained motionless for roughly five minutes before they finally broke the hug. Naruto immediately yawned.

"Sleep kid. I think you're tired enough that you might get some sleep. You got a long day tomorrow." Masakado informed him with a chuckle.

"I know, I know." Naruto nodded his head with another yawn. He gave the man one final hug. "Goodnight Masakado-jī-san!"

With those words, Naruto walked back to his room, heading to sleep. Masakado was left alone. A smile remained on his lips as he returned back to work on his seal.

'He's a good kid. So are all of them. The Uzumaki clan is looking better than ever. I can't wait to hear about what they become in the years to come.' Masakado told himself. With those thoughts, however, came a sudden realization. The smile on his face immediately disappeared. '… I don't want them to leave me alone again...'

'… I am too old for this shit.' Hiruzen sighed.

Just after had finished most of the cleanup from the Suna-Oto invasion and after having fully calmed himself down, the Sandaime Hokage is greeted by a snake messenger from Anko. The snake delivers a scroll to him, detailing the circumstances of her mission.

There was always a risk involved with missions in Mizu no Kuni nowadays. The civil war made the area dangerous and resulted in every mission involved with the country to be classified as no rank lower than B-rank. However, the man had given Anko a B-rank mission that seemed to have no consequence. Her team would not have to be in the country for long. In theory, this mission should have been totally safe!

Instead, it seemed as if Konoha had now been dragged into the bloody civil war.

"How frustrating." Homura grumbled, shaking his head slightly.

Hiruzen had informed his two former teammates and his advisors of Anko's scroll. Whatever he decision he made would be absolute and nobody could question it; not even his advisors. However, he always preferred to hear their opinions. It was dangerous for one person to have complete control of every aspect of a village. Even if he felt like he should ignore their advice, it was comforting to know that he had heard out and analyzed every possible decision possible in relation to the situation.

"So that's the situation." Hiruzen commented. "Your opinions?"

"What action are you considering?" Koharu questioned.

Hiruzen shook his head. "I asked for your opinions, Koharu. Mine does not matter at the moment."

"Very well then." Homura spoke up. "Mitarashi-san has committed a grave mistake and her foolishness will cost us."

"Foolishness? I may agree with her actions being a 'mistake', but I do not believe that you could classify them as foolish." Koharu openly scoffed at her teammate's words. "It's very clear where her mind was working. She wanted to defend a village under-fire from invaders. There is no reason to consider that a foolish decision. That is a morally-right decision."

"And that's foolish in our world." Homura replied dismissively. "All three of us have lived long enough to know that. To be a shinobi, you have to ignore everything else other than your village and your mission."

"I would agree with Koharu." Hiruzen mentioned. "Although it is true that our priorities should lie with the village and our missions, it does not mean we should disregard our morality entirely. I do not fault Anko-san's decisions."

"… Fine. The morality behind her decision does not matter much anyway." Homura stated. A slight scowl developed on his face, but was gone in a second. "Admit, though, that she has forced Konoha into an unfortunate circumstance. Kirigakure will most likely declare war on us once they finish dealing with their civil war."

"Most likely." Koharu sighed. "Therefore, I feel as if we should focus our time in strengthening our village, making contact with Iwa and any other allies we have, and prepare for the upcoming war."

"So you advise not having a part in the civil war?" Hiruzen questioned.

"Correct." She nodded her head in affirmation. "Konoha is still recovering from the invasion. We have neither the shinobi nor resources to waste."

"I disagree with that." Homura mentioned.

Koharu turned her attention toward her former teammate and narrowed her eyes: "Explain."

"We exaggerate Yagura's insanity. He won't declare war immediately. He'll wait until Kirigakure is united under his rule and strengthen them. Then, he will come for us. And his rampage could very-well destroy the village." He answered matter-of-factly. "The best way to deal with him is during this civil war. As long as he doesn't have a full-nation's worth of shinobi under his control, he won't be as much of a devastating opponent. In addition, we will have the rebel shinobi to use as allies. They'll be more likely to die in this war then our own shinobi."

"They are tools to you then?" Hiruzen's eyes narrowed at the man.

"I suppose you could put it that way, but at least if we achieve victory against Yagura, some of them will be alive. Koharu's plan-of-action will ensure every single one of them will die." Homura declared.

"It would be an unfortunate result, but we must always remember that in such a situation, Konoha is the priority." Koharu stated.

"That is true. That is the reason why we need to get involved and destroy Yagura before he becomes a threat to Konoha." Homura continued to say.

"That is all I needed to hear from you two." Hiruzen spoke-up, raising his hand. This action silenced his two partners. "I have been thinking about this situation too much in regards to morality. Hearing your takes on the logistics about our action was appreciated."

"Then what is your intent?" Koharu questioned.

"I will prepare an army to march to Kiri and join the rebels." He declared.

Koharu made a conscious effort to keep her face neutral. Homura, on the other hand, let a small smirk develop on his face.

"So you agree then?" He questioned the Hokage.

"I do. We will be able to ensure that the rebels are not entirely wiped out, eliminate Yagura's tyranny, and prevent our village from being a target of war." Hiruzen stated.

The two advisors were dismissed. Hiruzen returned to his desk and immediately wrote a response to Anko. He summoned a small monkey, gave it the scroll, and instructed it to deliver the message to Anko. With his task done, the Hokage began considering what should shinobi he would send on an invasion-force against Kirigakure and Yagura.

'… I really, really am too old for this shit.'

Quick Notes: (dammit... I have a few of these to post...)

1: I know he wasn't featured heavily in this chapter, but yes: Hozuki Suigestsu is with the rebels. Canon has never stated fully when Suigetsu was captured by Orochimaru. My interpretation of that was sometime following the Sasuke Retrieval Arc. Considering that line of thought... no, Suigetsu was never associated with Oto and is just a member of the rebellion against Kiri. I know some people were concerned about his place, so hopefully this clears that up! :)

2: This should be obvious, but I wrote my story before the anime decided to develop Karin's life in Kusa. Therefore... I'm ignoring it. Not that I particularly minded it. I actually really did like their interpretation. But I've already created my view of Karin for this story and I don't personally feel the need to change it due to some additional filler. Just explaining some of the discrepancies with her character.

3: I originally intended to have another Uzumaki OC appear in this story as a member of the Kirigakure rebels, but thanks to the reminder of the reader Ebony sword, I remembered that Uzumaki Honoka was a thing. As an actual character with a backstory open to interpretation, she immediately took the place of the OC. Just a small fun fact! Thanks for reminding me about her Ebony sword!

4: I don't know if this was confusing, but I wanted to actually explain why the particular rebels were invited to the meeting.

The clan heirs of the bloodline clans that Yagura is hunting down are all there. Therefore, the Yuki Clan (Haku), Hozuki Clan (Suigetsu), Uzumaki Clan (Honoka), and Terumī Clan (Mei, although let's be real: she's leading the rebellion. She would have been there regardless). The Doku Clan and Kawada Clan are also bloodline clans that I have made for the purpose of this story and to give the rebels more shinobi. Therefore, their heirs (Sugita and Misora respectively) are also invited to the meeting. If anybody is curious about their personalities and abilities, you will find out more as the arc goes on.

Regardless, the clan heirs are invited to the meeting. The Seven Swordsman of the Mist also get representation (Momochi Zabuza, Akebino Jinin, and the newest members to the swordsman: Chōjūrō). Aō, who is loosely considered Mei's right-hand, is invited. Fujiwara Shichō, an OC that is supposed to be the mayor of the village that they are residing, is also invited as he is supplying the rebels with a base of operations.

That was long-winded... but I wanted to explain in more detail. I have an elaborate view of the rebels of Kirigakure that I hope I will get to explore well as the arc continues. Just wanted to explain that to you all!

Author's Note: Chapter forty-one is finally done! Holy crap, this chapter would not end for me! No... really. I actually had to move a lot of stuff that was going to occur in it to the next chapter! I normally would just 'suck it up' and hammered through and wrote it all in the chapter. The problem was, though, that the update was already past 15,000 words. I figured most of my plans would have definitely made it a much too long chapter. XD But it's all fine. I think this works out for the better when it comes time for next chapter!

Sorry for making you all wait a little longer than I had been. I wanted to get the chapter out earlier sometime in September... but it got difficult to write. :/ Fun fact: I'm now a teacher! :) I'm co-teaching a class on English Conversation at my university for PhD students visiting from foreign countries. It's a lot of work and I kinda wonder if I'm doing a good job... but hey, it's going good at the moment... I think... I hope. I don't know! If it starts going bad, prepare for rants in the author's notes :P

Regardless, these past couple of weeks, there was a massive increase reviews! Much faster than I normally see. I'm so happy to have all of you new readers! I really appreciate that you all enjoy reading the story and take the time to tell me your thoughts, likes, and criticism. :) I've been really behind about replying to messages and stuff... but I hope to rectify that sometime tonight or tomorrow! At the moment, though, I want to say thank you so much to you all. You make writing so much more enjoyable to me and I hope to keep my story's quality as high as possible for you all. Thank you all so much again for the amazing support! ^^

Next chapter is now underway. I'll get to work as soon as I take a nap. I'm exhausted at the moment/crashing from a caffeine-induced all-nighter. School can be a pain in the ass sometimes XD Anyway, I'll see you all after I eventually wake up and finish the next chapter! Until then :)